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happy camper. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
happy camper, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
happy camper in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
happy camper you have here. The definition of the word
happy camper will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
happy camper, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
The Dictionary of American Slang suspects the phrase to have originated among California movie and show-business people as a reference to child clients of summer camps.
Pronunciation
Noun
happy camper (plural happy campers)
- (chiefly US, informal) One who is thoroughly content or satisfied.
- Synonym: happy bunny
I will be a happy camper when they fix the potholes on my commute.
1989 April 26, Shirley Marlow, “Quayle Visits Samoa, Decides He'll Give It a Break”, in Los Angeles Times:“You all look like happy campers to me,” Dan Quayle to the people of American Samoa.
1997, Roz Denny Fox, Sweet Tibby Mack, page 132:"Call, but you can't fight union regulations" / "You're probably right. Still, their boss needs to know I'm not a happy camper."
2008, Deepa Kumar, quoting Ron Carey, Outside the Box: Corporate Media, Globalization, and the UPS Strike, Appendix, page 194:I had kept telling people that this company would be looking for a victim to pay for this. They would not let it go. And it wasn't just them—look at all the Mob guys I threw out of the union. They weren't happy campers.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see happy, camper.
References
- Christine Ammer (2013) “happy camper”, in American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, second edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 197.
- Eric Partridge (2005) “happy camper”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volume 1 (A–I), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 961.
- “happy camper n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present